


Near or far

by astralprojects



Series: Bandori Rarepair Week 2020 [4]
Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Bandori Rarepair Week 2020, Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24867025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralprojects/pseuds/astralprojects
Summary: Even if she can't be there personally, Nanami will find a way to comfort Mashiro every time she needs it.
Relationships: Kurata Mashiro/Hiromachi Nanami
Series: Bandori Rarepair Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769659
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Near or far

**Author's Note:**

> I've already kind of resolved that I want to finish this week, even if I do so ridiculously late. I'll probably skip out on the Yukisayo though - I'm just not feeling that one.
> 
> Maybe I've just gotta accept that I have to do things at my own speed, and that's okay.
> 
> Anyway, I have a Nanamashi agenda I'm already invested in and I want everyone to hear it.

"U-Um, Nanami-chan… Why are you in the bushes?"

The shrub across from Mashiro rustled promptly, as if from shock. Nanami emerged from it, holding her hands up from either side of her to defend her harmlessness.

"Oh, busted…" she droned.

"What are you hiding from?" Mashiro asked. "A-Are you okay?"

"Hm, yeah," Nanami replied, dropping onto the space on the bench beside Mashiro. "What about you, Shiro-chan?"

"I'm fine, Nanami-chan… You didn't tell me why you were in there, though."

"Do I have to?" Nanami moaned.

"Y-Yes?"

Kicking her legs back and forth, Nanami paused to think her words through before she spoke. "You know what you're doing next Friday, Shiro-chan?"

"Yeah… Why?"

"Well, what are you doing?" Nanami questioned. "You're going to that ceremony thing, right?"

Mashiro nodded, confused.

"Yeah, that." Nanami shuffled a little in her seat, finding Mashiro's hand and placing her own atop it. "How do you feel about it?"

Turning her hand around to join them both palm-to-palm, Mashiro's expression reverted to something even more timid. "There won't… Be anyone there. That I know, I mean."

Nanami's smile softened; she gave Mashiro's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You get nervous when we're not there, don't you?"

Mashiro returned the gesture, appearing like a tortoise retreating into its shell. "I do. It's… Especially when you're not… There with me, Nanami-chan."

"Yeah, so I'm…" Nanami pursed her lips slightly, reluctant to let the words out. "Worried… About you. Are you gonna be okay, Shiro-chan?"

"O-Of course!" Mashiro reassured her, faltering when she was faced with Nanami's doubtful look. "I mean… I don't know. They'll think I'm strange…"

"No-one thinks you're strange, Shiro-chan," Nanami assured her, patting her supportively on the waist. "You're just there to be mentored by the upper years. You guys were all picked randomly, so you're doing fine. Don't stress too much over it."

Mashiro smiled faintly, the expression playing on her lips still weighed down by doubt. "Yeah… I-I'll try."

"Mm," she hummed, kissing Mashiro's cheek. "You can do it!"

"I-I can do it!" Mashiro announced, voice raising slightly in volume. She squeezed Nanami's hand. "Don't worry, Nanami-chan."

Nanami messed with her hair affectionately, smiling against her cheek. "That's my Shiro-chan. You can do it. I believe in you."

And even without an invitation to the event, Nanami was going to be there with her every step of the way.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't go to the ceremony, Tsu-chan?"

"I mean you weren't invited, Nanami-chan," Tsukushi groaned, unable to understand what was so complicated about this. "It's nice that you want to help Mashiro-chan, and we all do, but you can't just sneak in! They'd notice you anyway."

"But what if I was really sneaky?"

"Touko-chan told me you would be wearing a fedora in your disguise, Nanami-chan."

"... Oh."

Tsukushi sighed, slouching onto the table in front of her and swirling the straw in her milkshake around. "That's not normal, Nanami-chan. You'd be so obvious."

Nanami frowned at that, huffing in dissatisfaction. She still couldn't be normal, no matter how hard she tried.

"N-Not like that!" Tsukushi reassured her hurriedly. "It's just, uh, you don't wanna stand out, a-and… Ugh. You're fine, Nanami-chan, it's just… You can't crash the ceremony."

Leaning back in her chair, Nanami picked up her own milkshake and took a swig from it. "Fine."

"N— Wait, you're really fine with that?" she stammered, dumbfounded. "Great! I'm sure we can support Mashiro-chan in other ways, anyway. I mean, there are going to be lots of people at the welcoming ceremony, so I think we should still try."

"How are we gonna do that?" Nanami asked. "We can't do much if we're not there with her."

"Well, we can't just give up Nanami-chan," Tsukushi berated. "We could calm her down before and after? Just support her in general? You could do something for her. Wait, you're the girlfriend, shouldn't you know?"

“Yeah, but…” Nanami slouched in her seat. “I want to be a good girlfriend to Shiro-chan. She of all people deserves it. And I guess I don’t know how to do it in the way that other people do yet, so.. I was hoping you could teach me, Tsu-chan.”

Tsukushi’s gaze swelled with sympathy; she found herself unable to hide it for a fragment of a second. Nanami was trying, often succeeding, and that was more than enough - it didn’t matter if it was conventional or not. Mashiro never assumed she would be living up to expectations after all, but Tsukushi supposed Nanami didn’t connect the dots between that. Her effort was endearing though.

But she was the class rep! Her job was reassuring, helping, and inspiring students in need, and she was perfect for it.

“You don’t need to be taught anything, Nanami-chan," Tsukushi sympathised. "I mean, listen. Mashiro-chan's dating you, right? So she expects your style of comfort. What does she need? What do you want to do for her?"

"What… We want…?"

Nanami's eyes lit up and widened as she leapt from her seat, starling Tsukushi as her cup wobbled, threatening to tip over and spill everywhere. "I know what to do, Tsu-chan!"

"Nanami-chan, we have drinks on the table!" Tsukushi complained, shooting her a sharp glare in irritation. "That's good, but you need to be more care—"

Tsukushi couldn’t do anything but yell as Nanami yanked her arm and dragged her from her chair.

“Nanami-chan, what are y—”

“C’mon, Tsu-chan!” Nanami exclaimed, as if it provided any sort of explanation to what she was doing. “Grab your milkshake or don’t, I need your help with this one.”

An employee scowled at them as they raced out of the milkshake parlour, the beverage thinning out and sticking to the table behind them.

* * *

"Can you stuff teddy bears with memory foam?"

Tsukushi stared on in confusion as Nanami waited for an answer. "... What?"

"When Shiro-chan came over to my house for the first time, she couldn't stop feeling my bed," Nanami confessed. "My mattress is made of memory foam. So I wanna fill the teddy bear with memory foam."

"I don't think they'll have that here," Tsukushi informed her. "No-one… No-one stuffs a teddy bear with memory foam."

"Aw, bummer," Nanami pouted. "How's the teddy bear supposed to remember your love for it then?"

"... Nanami-chan, you don't actu—"

"Wait, they don't have any options to choose from," she interjected, referring to the board pinned on the wall. "You have to take the polyester toy filling. I thought this was Build-a-Bear, shouldn't you get to pick?"

"I mean, I guess it's not all that different," Tsukushi commented. "But I still don't get why we're here. You haven't really explained anything yet, remember?"

"Oh! Sorry Tsu-chan," Nanami apologised. "Shiro-chan loves fluffy teddies and characters, so we're here to make one for her. Cuddling them calms her down, and I figure that she'll need one to hug. It's not as relaxing to her as cuddling me is, but it's good enough. Do you get it?"

"That's thoughtful of you, Nanami-chan," Tsukushi complimented with a proud smile. "I knew you would do just fine."

"Thanks, Tsu-chan~!" she gushed. "But this is nothing special. I just want to be there for Shiro-chan."

"Yeah, but still," Tsukushi attempted. "Anyway, what are we getting her? A bear? A giraffe?"

Nanami's eyes narrowed while she examined each design with deep concentration. "Shiro-chan once said that bears have the optimum cuddle factor, I think. She thinks they're cute."

"A bear it is then," Tsukushi agreed. "You don't get to choose too much about your teddy, huh? You pick one of the designs, the sizes, and the colour. Oh, and the fabric on some. That's better."

"We need to get the fluffiest one," Nanami declared. "It should be pretty big too. I'll give Shiro-chan a bag to carry it in."

"Yeah, that sounds good. You have to pick which one you want first though."

"Hm, okay," Nanami agreed, plucking a limp casing from the racks before her and swinging it about. "This feels so weird."

"P-Put that back, Nanami-chan…" Tsukushi persuaded her. "It doesn't look right."

Nanami only grinned slightly in response. "C'mon Tsu-chan, give Mr, uh… Wiggles here a kiss."

"I said to cut it out," she chided. "Oh, and you better not be the one naming the bear."

Snickering, Nanami returned the unstuffed character to its place and gazed at the options laid out for her. There were rabbits, cats, and other animals available, but most of the choices were bears; she supposed that they always were a traditional favourite.

"I think Shiro-chan would like the light pink one," Nanami claimed. "It's super fluffy, and it kind of looks like Michelle."

Tsukushi squinted. "Yeah, it really does, huh? Okay, let's get it down."

Nanami picked the casing up deftly, shuffling to the next station as she resisted the urge to fling the bear at Tsukushi. It wasn't as if she would be scared, but surely her reaction would have been a little funny. Throwing it at her wouldn't be normal though, would it?

"There isn't too much of a queue, this shouldn't take long," Tsukushi claimed. 

"Do you want to push the pedal, Tsu-chan?" Nanami offered. "It looks like something you'd like."

"Don't you want to do it?"

"It seems fun, but I'm not really too fussed about it," she confessed. "You should do it."

"You're sure?" Tsukushi checked, forgetting how they were next in line.

"Yeah, go for it," Nanami supported. "I have to get a voice box anyway. It's your turn, so take the bear and go-go~."

Tsukushi nodded gratefully; this was the least Nanami could do in return for her help.

Sauntering to the adjacent employee, Nanami couldn't help the smile that played out on her lips. If her hunch was right, Mashiro would like this.

* * *

The ceremony hadn't even begun yet and Mashiro was already trembling.

Most of the chairs in the assembly hall were filled with students her age: familiar faces, but nameless ones. Mashiro felt like she was about to bolt out of her chair and leave it among the few still empty.

Anxiously, she checked her phone, staring at the supportive text Nanami had sent her with a stifling intensity despite none of its words setting in. Mashiro could vaguely remember the gist of it - she could do it, Nanami would be there afterwards to comfort and reward her, and that if she was too worried or something went wrong, she could check what was inside the bag; Nanami seemed excited to list that last detail.

Fidgeting to the point where she became even more uncomfortable and restless, Mashiro decided that she would need whatever it was that could help her in the bag right there and then.

It wasn't as if this was the worst she could be feeling. She knew that, weaving in and out of the incoming people as each second in there made her body threaten to lock still and dash out all the same under their gazes, she knew that it could have easily been worse. Mashiro had grown better at talking to people, her anxiety and self-esteem had improved when she thought it never would have, but she still didn't want to be in that hall anymore.

Nanami told her that she didn't need to be at her worst to leave somewhere, didn't she? That encouragement had slipped out from her in-between Mashiro's unorganised rambling, a while after Nanami had found her. And Mashiro trusted Nanami more than any other.

Where had she found her again? Think, that area was so secluded that only Nanami had ever found her there, and— ah, she had reached it.

Mashiro let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she slumped onto the rough carpet underneath her, shuffling her way under the stairs. The assembly hall was close to here, which was always convenient, but this hopefully wouldn't take too long.

Reaching into the bag, Mashiro paused with bated breath upon coming into contact with its contents. Her hands trembled as she took it out.

"This stuffed bear…" she whispered, feeling the soft pink fur excessively. "It's so cute…!"

If cuddling this bear was supposed to be Nanami's genius and therapeutic solution to all of her problems, then it was absolutely working.

Squeezing it as tightly as she could, Mashiro let out a small, content sigh. It didn't have Nanami's warmth, of course, but it was more than enough.

Even with the ceremony awaiting her, she truly felt so peaceful.

"I love you beary much~!"

Until she didn't.

Mashiro threw the bear to the other side of the room.

Well, that was unexpected. She couldn't be blamed if she found the sudden noise a little scary.

The voice emerging from it wasn't automated, but slightly cracked. Lazy and drawn out at the end with an eccentric tone to it, the peculiarity of the sound caught Mashiro off-guard. There were things hiding inside even harmless teddies now?

Despite that, the voice sounded familiar: comforting, even.

Hesitantly crawling forward with slow, calculated steps, Mashiro drew the bear towards her and pressed it into her gently.

"I love you beary much~!"

There it was again.

Clicking its centre over and over again, she flinched as she realised why the voice was so familiar.

It belonged to Nanami.

It was autotuned, slurred, and somewhat choppy in quality, but it belonged to Nanami nonetheless.

Mashiro smiled gently. The message by itself had a nice enough sentiment, but to get it personalised? Whatever strings there even were to begin with, Nanami surely pulled them all.

She hugged the bear tightly to her chest once more; somehow, it held Nanami's warmth within it. A unique display of support, from her only to her only. Of course it had Nanami's trademark charm.

Mashiro rose to her feet, returning the bear into its bag and tucking it under her arm.

This was going to be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> "Here, Tsu-chan."
> 
> Tsukushi showed an expression of surprise as she accepted the bear given to her.
> 
> "Nanami-chan?" she asked feebly.
> 
> "Just squish it."
> 
> Tsukushi's confusion only grew as Nanami slipped away. Seeing no reason not to comply, she pushed both thumbs into the bear's stomach. 
> 
> A few seconds passed. Was there a voice box that wasn't working or something?
> 
> And then it hit her.
> 
> Memory foam.


End file.
